


Words Cut Deep

by Be_My_Lost_Boy



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Anorexia, Bulimia, Dark, Dirty Talk, Eating Disorders, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Rough Sex, Self Harm, Self-Esteem Issues, Smut, Suicidal Thoughts, randl, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-08-11 00:44:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7868503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Be_My_Lost_Boy/pseuds/Be_My_Lost_Boy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Link develops an eating disorder after being ridiculed by the person he cared for the most. Recovery is a long, hard road and some never make it to the finish line. Time is running out for Link but with a little help from a boy named Chase, anything is possible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fatty

**Author's Note:**

> *~* TRIGGER WARNING *~*
> 
> You have no curves, no ass or boobs? That's fine, you're beautiful anyways. You have a double chin, tummy rolls and your thighs touch? That's fine because you're beautiful anyways. You have no hair? An amputee? That's fine because you too are beautiful and fuck anyone who says differently. 
> 
> I may not know you and I may never know you but believe me when I say that I care about you and it would kill me to know that someone, anyone feels the need to harm or kill themselves. 
> 
> You have have thought about killing yourself or even tried to but the fact that you are here today reading this means that you've survived. You made it and I am so fucking proud of you.

Link was the heaviest of all his friends. He wasn’t _fat_ , just a bit chubby. He never once thought negatively about the way he looked. The brunette knew he wasn’t drop dead gorgeous but he didn’t think he was bad looking either. He had excellent hygiene, he was funny and kind, and he was healthy. He was happy and content and that is all that mattered.  So what if he had a bit of a tummy?   
  


Rhett, his best friend was tall and skinny. The blonde was an athlete so his stature was a given. Link on the other hand never played nor had  any interest in sports, But even so, he would go to every basketball game to cheer on his blood brother. Whether the team lost or won, the dark haired boy was always there after each and every game with a water bottle in hand, congratulating his friend.   
  
It wasn’t often that Rhett and Link spent the weekend with anyone except each other. But this weekend was different. _This_ weekend the two decided it would be fun to change things up a bit and hang out with a larger group of friends. It was a Saturday evening when Rhett revved the engine of the Omega at every stoplight on his way to pick up his friends. Link lived the furthest away from everyone else, so he was the last to be picked up, which meant he had to squeeze into the back seat.    
  
“Can ya fit?” Rhett asked, looking in the rear-view mirror at his best friend.   
  
“Huh? Y-Yeah.” Link blushed, trying his best to hide his discomfort as he leaned against the door as much as he could in order to give the other boys as much space as possible.   
  
After a few hours of driving around and talking, Rhett noticed that Link seemed to be shifting in his seat. “Ya okay there brother? Ya seem to be struglin’.”   
  
“Yeah, it’s just this dang seat belt. It keeps doing that thing where it tries to save my life.” He laughs, referring to the way the seat belt kept locking up and restricting his movements.   
  
“That’s because you pull it out too far when you try to rebuckle it.” Their friend Jason says, trying to help readjust  the strap for his friend.   
  
Link snorted. “Pulled it out too far? But what if someone was obese? ”  
  
“Well, you already are.” The blonde boy in the driver’s seat said, causing everyone in the car, except Link, to laugh hysterically. The words cut through Link worse than even the sharpest of knives ever could. He froze as each syllable sunk in, his lip quivered, keeping him from spitting out any sort of witty come back he might of had.   
  
_Did Rhett really just say that? No...I must have heard wrong._ Yet the brunette knew he heard exactly what was said. His best friend spoke loud and clear, there was no mistaking what he had said for anything else. The pair would playfully insult each other but never like this. Link was never the butt of any of Rhett’s jokes. _How could he do this to me?_  
  
For the rest of the ride, Link remained quiet as the rest of the boys talked as if nothing had happened. His cyan colored eyes stayed glued to the window, looking at everything and nothing as he tried his hardest to hold back his tears, faking a yawn whenever one would roll down his cheek. It wasn’t until everyone was climbing out of the Omega that Link realized they had pulled into a fast food burger place. _Great…_ He was hungry, _starving_ even. He had been waiting all day to eat something but Rhett’s words ate away at him in a way that hunger never could.   
  
“I’m not hungry." He lied. "I’ll go grab us a seat.” He walked off before anyone would make another mean comment, making a B-line for the restroom. Once inside the dim lit, odd smelling room, the brunette looked at his reflection, examining his face for any giveaway that he had been crying. He gripped the sides of the sink, ignoring whatever sticky substance he was touching. Link cursed himself for being so weak, for not being able to hold back his tears and for letting himself get so ‘big’. He stared at the door, debating with himself if he should just walk the mile and a half home. _It’s not like they’d notice or miss you. Besides, you need the exercise anyway, **Fatty.**_  It sounded like a good idea until he started to think about it. _What will you say when Rhett asks you why you left? That you got your feelings hurt because of a joke he made? Seriously, Neal? Are you that sensitive?_

 After splashing cold water onto his face and a few deep breaths, he was now ready to face his so called ‘friends’ again. Link chose the table that was located all the way in the back corner of the eatery. It wasn’t long till the other boys joined him with their trays filled with food. Link chewed the inside of his cheek. _Oh gosh it all smells so good...No! No! Stop it Link, remember what Rhett said. You’re such a **fat disgusting pig**! You don’t need to eat. You don’t need food._     
  
Even with keeping Rhett’s words in mind, it was still hard to stay focused and to keep himself from ordering even something to drink. As the others ate, the brunette scrolled through his phone aimlessly, looking for something, _anything_ to distract himself from the growing hunger pains. Link always knew that he was heavier than all his friends but now, looking around the table, it was as if he noticed it for the first time, and the embarrassment he felt was indescribable.    
  


* * *

  
  
It was half past midnight when Link was finally dropped off at his home. Waving goodbye to his ‘friends’, he put the key in the door and entered cautiously, not wanting to wake his mother.  

_ He was home...He was alone...He was finally able to eat. _

  
Link made himself a ham and cheese sandwich but the guilt of eating preventing himself from taking more than a few bites. Instead, he decided on a tall glass of ice cold water as his ‘dinner’. That too, he was unable to finish. Quietly, he climbed the stairs to his bedroom, each creak of the wooden steps was like a punch to the chest for the teen. Logically, the house was old and the stairs, along with the floor boards sometimes creaked as they settled without anyone even being on them. It had nothing to do with the young man’s weight because even Rhett’s footsteps would cause the wood to sound, despite the tall blonde being as thin as he was. But none of that mattered. In Link’s mind, each creak rang out louder than the last, laughing at him, mocking him the same way Rhett and all the others did earlier today.    
  
Eventually, he made it to the top of the stairs, but not without tears swelling in his eyes. Link placed his hand over his mouth when he walked past his mother’s bedroom, not wanting his sobs to wake her. Once the door to his room was closed behind him, the brunette removed his hand and freely let the tears falls. He then turned on the air conditioner in a successful attempt to muffle the sounds of him crying. Link laid awake, watching his fan blades go around and around. He should have taken a shower before going to bed, it was something he always did, especially after a day of being out of the house. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. No, he couldn’t bare to look at himself fully dressed, and the few seconds it took for him to change into his pajamas was pure torture. There was no way in Hell that Link would be able to be completely naked, even if he was only in the company of himself.    
  
It wasn’t long until Link cried himself to sleep, a sleep in which he hoped to never awake from. 


	2. Darkest Before Dawn

Link awoke to a cocktail of birds chirping and his stomach growling. His head felt heavy from crying and stomach nauseous from lack of food. Never once did he think he would ever feel such euphoria from the pain brought on by not eating. Just the thought of food, no matter how small of an amount, made the brunette gag.  
  
_Where did all this self haterade come from? Was it conceived in the breath of Rhett’s words or had it always been there, hidden below the surface like a bottom feeder? Deep down had his weight always bothered him? Was the happiness that he glowed with faked or had the light he once shined with finally burned  out?_  
  
Link didn’t have any answer to any of these questions. He always thought that he had thick skin, being gay in a the South and a high school student, it was something that you needed if you wanted to survive. Yet here he was, Charles Lincoln Neal, bent over the toilet, forcing his toothbrush down his throat. Between the dizzyness and the burning in his throat, Link decided it was best to stop. The teen walked back to his bedroom, holding onto the wall for support as he did so. 

Grabbing his phone from his bedside table, Link crawled back into bed and scrolled aimlessly through Tumblr searching for tags such as _thin and skinny._ Eventually he came across tags listed as _Ana_ , _Mia_ , and _Thinspo_. Probably one of the worse things he could have done. The boy spent hours searching pictures of _‘body goals_ ’ and other techniques regarding self harm. He even went as far as to create his own Pro Ana Tumblr blog. There, he learned things called the _‘Ana Diet_ ’ and what he could eat throughout a day without going over 500 calories and that fasting wasn’t just something done on spiritual holidays.  
  
Each morning, Link would wake up before the sun was to rise just so he could go for a run without anyone around to laugh at the way his invisible fat jiggled. He did a lot of things when all the world was asleep: cry, exercise, eat, hurt himself..The list is endless. Every day Link would work out, pushing himself to the utmost limit just so he could hear the words, ‘Did you lose weight?’ when the school year starts again. Yes, he wanted his parents to get back together, he wanted his grandmother to still be alive, but above all else, Link wanted to be thin; he wanted to look at himself in the mirror and be content with what he saw.

_But the harsh truth of it all was that it would be a long time for that day to come, if it ever came. Link was suffering from an eating disorder. No matter how much weight he lost he would always see himself as “fat”. Until he realizes the harm that he is doing to his body and that being skinny doesn’t guarantee happiness, he will keep trying to lose weight._

  
_Because that's how something as cancerous as an eating disorder starts. No one ever wakes up one day and says they want to be anorexic or bulimic. No, it starts out innocently by just wanting to lose a few pounds so you can fit into a certain size pair of jeans. So you decide to cut back on your eating. Cutting back slowly turns into skipping meals completely. The hunger hurts but the euphoria of seeing the numbers on the scale decrease make it all worth it. **But darlin, is it truly worth it?**_

* * *

 

Everytime Rhett would invite Link to hangout, the bruentte would always turn down the offer, even if it was just goig to be thee two of them. He was  no longer angry at Rhett for what he had said. If anyhting, Link felt the need to thank the blonde, as for if it wasn’t for his cruel  words, Link would have never gotten then “wake up call” that he needed about his weight. Deep down, he  missed the late nights he would spend with his blood brother but Link had more important things to do. He had to be skinny, even if that meant detaching himself from all of his friends, ditching them so he could work on his “dream body”.  
  
_You don’t need them Neal, they’re just a distraction. What's the point of having friends if you’re just going to be the ‘ugly friend’ or the ‘fat friend’. You’ll make new ones when you’re skinny, beautiful, and perfect._  
  
Link was getting frustrated, the numbers on the scale kept dropping but he seemed to remain the same size. His collarbones were showing, but he was still fatter than the girls in the fashion magazines. It wasn’t fair, none of this was fair.

 

The school year was rapidly approaching and Link was running out of time. In his mind’s eye he was nowhere near where he wanted to be. He as sure that all his peers would laugh and ridicule him on the first day.

 

* * *

 

Link woke up that morning wishing he was dead. After shutting his alarm clock off, he layed in bed for 15 more minutes, staring at the ceiling debating if he should even go or not. Eventually, he was able to drag himself out of bed and into the shower. Once done, Link combed his hair and put on a pair of loose fitted sweatpants and a hoodie, two items that used to be form fitting before he lost all the weight. Before leaving, Link grabbed his cellphone, keys, and bookbag before heading off to school.

  
Since Link developed his eating disorder, he has found himself to be very cold, even when everyone else around him seems to be comfortable, if not sweating. He was practically shivering as he waited for the bus, making a mental note for himself to bring an extra jacket tomorrow.  

Once the bus arrived, Link was filled with disappointed to know that the school bus had its air conditioner on. The brunette took his seat in the back of the bus, that way he'd be one of the first people on and last off. It saved him the embarrassment of being seen by more students than necessary. By the second stop, the bus became noisy, forcing Link to put in his other earbud to drowned out all the noise.

Link spent the remainder of the trip gazing out the window, completely oblivious of the boy who sat next to him, that spent _his_ remainder of the ride staring at Link. The boy had soft light brown hair that matched the color of the hair on his face that he grew out in order to hide the small double chin. His tummy hung over his belt but if he stood up straight it was barely noticeable. The boy would describe his physique as _thick_ rather than fat. Either way, he was happy.

 

_I wonder what kind of music he is listening to. Is he gay? He's probably not gay… God, I hope he's gay. I wonder if we have any classes together. He's so cute! I wonder what his name is? I should introduce myself._

 

The boy sat motionless, too shy to speak.

  
_Dammit! He probably sees me staring and thinks I'm such a creep! Ugh, I am such a creep! I blew it before I even said hello!_

 

The boy couldn't help but admire how beautiful Link was. His dark hair that looked so soft and all too tempting to play with. His high, pronounced cheekbones and jawline. Link was simply breathtaking.

 

The bus finally came to a stop, the driver announced the destination and alerted ever to gather their things and to carefully step off, wishing them all a good first day. The boy waited for the students to pass before to stood up, praying that he would build the nerve to start a conversation with the dark haired beauty in the meantime. He turned to face him, wetting his lips before he spoke, only to see that Link still had his headphones in.

 

 _No big deal I guess...I'll see him in the hallway from time to time. We'll talk then_. The boy thought hopefully, shuffling after his fellow classmates, making small talk with friends that he had not seen all summer.

 

Link was last to step off the bus with a sigh, trying to mentally prepare himself for the social suicide he was about to commit. As he walked up the concrete path he tried to distract himself by thinking of graduation, the day he can finally leave this small town and everyone in it, including Rhett behind, becoming nothing more than a faded memory. Only if he can hold on till then…

 

Before he stepped through the double doors he could already hear the loud chatter of students. “Ugh..” With a deep breath, Link walked through the threshold. The entire hallway fell silent, their eyes locked on the dark haired boy. Soon, whispers started to swirl, making it just loud enough to hear but quiet enough to not be able to decipher what was being said.

 

_Oh my god, he got so thin. Is he sick? Is he dying? He looks so unhealthy. I hope he's okay._

 

Though Link ignored it all. He was the fat kid, the ugly friend, never played any sports. His entire life he was a target, he was used to this type of treatment. If only he could hear what they were saying. If only he was able to hear the words he's been dying to hear, maybe, just maybe, Link would stop the madness.

 

His first class was math, a subject he hated yet did very well in.

 

 _Good, at least I'll be able to sleep_. He thought. The hunger pains kept him awake at night and the lack of food drained his energy. It was a miracle that he was even able to get out of bed.

 

After homeroom, Link would usually hang out with Rhett before class started. His heart ached when he realized those days were over. Instead, the brunette walked to his class, alone, ignoring the shocked look on everyone's face.

 

“Hey, there's that guy again!” The chubby boy said aloud, excitement filling his voice tagged along with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. He watched as Rhett and Link passed each other in the hall. It was like a train wreck, he felt the need to look away but couldn't help himself. He didn't know Link and he barely knew Rhett, but he knew that the two boys were the best of friends. It confused him, and even hurt him to see Link walk past the person he once considered his best friend as if he was a stranger.

 

“L-Link…?” Rhett’s jaw dropped at the way the other boy's clothes hung off of him as if they were hand-me-downs, despite being an only child. Though Link didn't flinch, didn't even  bat an eyelash or look up at the blonde boy. No, instead Link kept his gaze in front of him, looking at everything and nothing. He treated Rhett as if he was just another face in the crowd, the only contact that was made was when their arms brushed against each other. Once Rhett turned around, Link was gone, lost in the sea of students. There was no sign that Link had ever been there, to the point Rhett started to second guess himself.

 

“Nah, that couldn't have been the Linkster. No way he'd get so thin so quick. But...I know what I saw…” He let out with a sigh, anxiety over his friend quickly consumed him as he too made his way to his first period class.

 

_So, his name is Link. The other boy made a mental note for when he saw the mysterious dark haired beauty again._

 

* * *

 

Finally, 6th period rolled around and just like in every other class, the students, including the teacher fell silent when Link walked into the room.

 

Link scanned the room, looking for any familiar faces, in case he would have to be paired with someone for a group project some point in the year. The only face he reconized was the face of the kid who sat next to him on the bus this morning. He rolled his eyes and took his seat next to the boy who stared at him all morning.

 

_Just my luck…_

 

As Link made his way to his seat, the other student never took his eyes off of him, watching every step the boy took, every micro expression he made, he didn't want to miss a thing.

 

_Okay, heres your chance, introduce yourself!_

 

The boy sat up straight and cleared his throat, yet the words got caught when Link gave him a piercing look from the corner of his eye, basically saying ‘Go ahead, try to talk to me, dare you’.

* * *

 

Once the bell rang, Link was the first one to gather his things and leave the classroom, leaving everyone, including the boy who had a crush on him, in the dust. Keeping his head down, he forced his way through the crowds of people, grunting when they refused to move. He was being rude, a real asshole today, but that wasn't his intention. He wanted to get through today with as little social interaction and viability as possible.

He thought he was doing a good job, better than he expected, but little did he know that Link was the topic of the day, the words on everyone's lips. He was even the talk of the entire teacher's’ lounge.  

 

With only two more classes to go, the day still seemed to drag by. It wasn't until the final bell rang that Link was able to relax, knowing that he was almost home. He walked the halls with his head in the clouds, daydreaming about running the cold, sharp piece of metal over his thighs, watching as the blood made little beads before it dripped down his leg. He wanted it. He **_needed_** it. It was like an itch he couldn't scratch. Often times Link would wonder if this is how alcoholics or drug addicts felt when they didn't get their fix. He also couldn't wait to go home and sleep. He had absolutely no energy, climbing the stairs took everything he had but the thought of climbing into bed and pulling the covers over his head was just enough motivation to make him practically run home.

 

Link loved to sleep, it was like being dead to the world but without the commitment. It was one of the perks that came along with having no friends. He didn't have to worry about canceling plans that were made in advance or having Rhett spend the night and accidentally finding his bloody bandages or utensils. Not having Rhett as a friend also meant that no one would see the harm he does to himself late at night when the rest of their small town is asleep. If anyone were to find out it would be Rhett, he knew everything about Link.

 

Link piled his books neatly onto the shelf in his locker. It took him three tries to get his locker opened. He was just so tired and his head was in a fog, he couldn't concentrate. Once Link shut his locker he almost jumped ten feet off the ground, not expecting someone to be on the other side.

  
“Um..H-Hi, I'm Chase.”


	3. A Silver Lining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Possible Trigger Warning-

“Uh, hi? I’m Link.” He introduced himself, trying his best to hide his confusion.    
  
“Yeah, um. Well, y-you see…” The boy began stuttering and tripping over his own words. “We’ve met before, you probably don’t remember me. I’m Rhett’s friend.” A small white lie never hurt anyone, right?    
  
“Oh, alright. Do you need something or…?”  Link asked, looking the boy up and down, trying recall if he ever seen him with Rhett before.  _ Rhett never mentioned a kid named Chase. Yet, he also never mentioned an apology either.  _ He winced at the painful memory.    
  
“Really? Hm, that's strange. Well I was just wondering if you’d want to go grab a bite to eat with me.” Chase had to look away, he felt his cheeks redden and become warm. His hands were sweating and his knees felt like they were about to buck under him. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. On the outside he appeared to be Mr.Cool but on the inside, he was having a nervous breakdown.    
  
_ Grab a bite to eat? He’s making fun of you... He knows what a fat lard you are.  He expects you to say yes and why wouldn’t you? Just look at yourself, completely and utterly disgusting! This was a dare, a joke, it had to be. “Let’s make the fat kid feel like he has a friend, make him feel like he’s wanted. Of course he’d fall for it. He’d say yes to anything that involved food.”  Rhett probably put him up to this, that fucking jerk. Okay Link, just play it cool, act like it doesn’t even bother you. Play dumb. Turn him down but play dumb. _ __  
__  
“I think I’ll pass.” He said it bluntly, with the fiery undertone of an attitude.    
  
“B-But…”   
  
“I said no!” Link spat, slamming his locker before storming off. He would have stayed and told Chase off, but he couldn’t. The tears had already begun to fall before he was even able to turn his back to the boy.  __ Just keep running, you’ll be home soon. 

Chase was hurt and confused but he was determined not to give up. With a sigh of defeat, he slumped his shoulders and walked towards his own locker.  _ Until next time…. _   
  
“Hey! Hey, wait up a sec!” He heard a voice call from down the corridor. It was Rhett! The blonde’s long and lanky limbs carried him and in just a few steps, he was standing in front of Chase. “Hey, man. I saw you talking to Link just a second ago.”    
  
Chase nodded slowly, unsure if he should continue the conversation or just walk away.  _ How can you care so much about Link if you were able to just walk past him like he was nothing?  _   
  
“You have classes with him right?”   
  
He narrowed his eyes, becoming suspicious of what the following words would be. “Yeah, what about it? I should be getting home. If you want, we can talk on the way.”    
  
“Well…” The blonde started, searching for the right words to describe his concerns. “This is going to sound weird but just go with me on this, okay?”    
  
Chase nodded again.  _ Don’t tell me you like Link too… _

__  
“Well, as you probably know, we are best friends. Umm, used to be? I don’t know...Anyway, one day he just stopped texting me back, never returned any of my calls, nothing. I even went to his house a few times and he didn’t answer the door. Sometimes I'd get lucky and his mom would answer but she would always say that he was sleeping. He seened to always be sleeping... He used to be my best bud. Yet now I feel like a stranger to him. I’m worried, man. Last time I hang out with him he was...Well, you know,  _ fat. _ Now he’s skinny as a pole. I’m scared that he might be sick. I mean, it would explain all the weight he lost and why he was always sleeping.”   
  
Chase allowed Rhett to ramble on and on about his problem, allowing jealously to consume him every time the blonde mentioned spending time with Link outside of school.  __ You don’t know how lucky you are…   
  
“Okay, well go back to the last day you two saw each other. Was there anything that was said or done that may have caused this?”    
  
The boy thought long and hard before he answered, trying to remember every little detail of that day.    
  
“We went to eat at a fast food joint and he said he wasn’t hungry. Maybe that was the day he started to get sick.”   
  
“Hmm, maybe. Was anything said about his weight or his eating habits? Did a girl make fun of him or turn him down because he was…”

“Fat?”

Chase winced at the word but nodded anyway.  He remembers seeing Link in the hallway when he weighed a lot more than he did now but not once did he think the brunette was anything less than perfection.    
  
Rhett stopped dead in his tracks and scratched the back of his head, avoiding eye contact at all cost.   
  
“Rhett. What happened, what was said?” The tone of Chase’s voice changed to something more serious. He wasn’t asking a question, he was demanding a response.    
  
“I um...I may have kinda, sorta called him fat. Uh, ‘ **_obese_ ** _ ’  _ to be exact.” Rhett was met with a hard slap across the face from the boy’s backhand. Confused and wide eyed, he stumbled back, holding his face. “Ah! What the fuck?!”    
  
“How could you say something so mean to someone, anyone, let alone your so-called best friend! Link is a precious person that deserves nothing but the best! He deserves to be loved and held and made to feel pretty all hours of the day! He has an eating disorder you stupid asshole! He has an eating disorder and it’s all because of you!” Chase screamed, puffing to catch his breath, his cheeks too were redden but from anger.    
  
“What? No way! Y-You really think Link has an-”   
  
“Yes! He was the “ _ fat kid _ ” in a clique of jocks. It’s bad enough when you look in the mirror and don't like what you see...It’s even  **_worse_ ** when the person who is supposed to be there for you when the rest of the world walks out calls you everything that you call yourself.”  The boy looked to the ground, hiding his tears behind his poofy bangs. He was speaking from the heart, from his own experiences. He is now at peace with himself but once upon a time, not too long ago, he felt this way. The scars on his heart have healed but they still remain. Chase remembers the pain and inner turmoil he used to be in. It is a pain that no one should ever have to endure. It is a pain that he wouldn't wish on his worse enemy. It broke his heart to know that someone as pure as Link was the one enduring it.     
  
“H-How do I make this better? Please, you gotta help me!” Rhett began to panic. He wished nothing more for him to be able to go back in time, to stop himself from hurting the one person he cared for most. Link was his best friend, his blood brother, yet somehow, in the mix of it all, Rhett put status before friendship. He wanted to seem cool in front of his other “friends” and now, Link was paying the price.    
  
“Honestly?” Chase let out with a sigh. “I don’t even know if you can. It’s been awhile, Link may be too far gone, mentally, physically, spiritually...You hurt him Rhett. You hurt him big time and if Link cared for you the way I think he did...There's no recovering after that. You broke him, betrayed him.” Chase was crying from his own words. What he said was ugly, he didn’t even want to hear them, but what he said was true and that’s what made it all the more scary. The pain and fear that appeared in those crystal blue eyes when asked if he’d like to “grab a bite to eat” made sense now and Chase didn’t know how he should feel about this new piece of information. “I'll try to talk to him, get him to open up.”

“Sounds good, but how are we gonna get him to talk to me again?”

Chase let out with an aggravated sigh. “What's more important: saving your friendship or saving his life?”

Rhett was rendered silent, letting what Chase said sink in. The two walked the remainder of the way home in silence until they got to the street where Rhett would turn left and Chase would turn right, reaching their own destination. The two boys said their goodbyes before their departure.

* * *

 

Chase’s stomach was in knots, feeling as if he would get sick at any moment. He hurried his pace, fearing that he would not make it home in time. If he felt like this, he could only imagine what Rhett felt like.  The boy sat on the end of his bed, kicking off his shoes. He was so deep in thought that he didn’t even realize that he had forgotten to take his backpack off. He tried to shake off the sinking feel he felt in his gut but couldn’t. He tried to tell himself that things would work out, that everything would be okay but Chase had his doubts.    
  


His mother called him down for dinner but the boy refused, blaming his loss of appetite on a stomach virus. He wasn’t really lying, he  _ did  _ feel sick after all. Even if he was hungry, he wouldn’t be able to eat knowing that Link was probably in his room, skipping dinner purposely, if not doing anything worse.  

* * *

Rhett walked the rest of the way home with tears and  snot running down his face and dripping onto the pavement. His stomach hurt, his chest hurt, there was a burning in the back of his throat and he already felt a headache coming on. Though he felt like shit, he knew he deserved it. Walking through his front door, the blonde racked his brain trying to think of a way to fix all that he had done wrong. He and Link got into fights in the past, arguments, some even turning physical. And sometimes those fights would result in Link ignoring Rhett for a few days but never like this. The silence from the brunette never lasted this long, nor did it ever have this type of effect on the Link.    
  
He dragged himself to his bed, plopping lifelessly onto it. He wanted to trust Chase, he wanted to believe that the chubby kid would try his best to make things better, but he was scared, he too had his doubts.

 

 _What if he gets close to Link only to turn him against me? What if he tries to fix things and Link tells him to fuck off? Link...I’m sorry! I’m so fucking sorry!_ __  
__  
All these thoughts swarmed his head, causing Rhett to burst into another fit of tears. “I can't take this anymore! I need to call him.” With lightning speed, the blonde grabbed his cell phone and scrolled through his contact list until he found a name that read __Link.   


_It began to ring._   
  


* * *

  
  
Link lied motionless in a bathtub. A bathtub in which it’s water had turned red, leaving a ring around the white proclinine. He watched through half lidded eyes as blood dribbled from his thighs. Seeing those scars, both old and new made him feel complete. Link was in a complete state of calm and all due to the silver lining of a pencil sharpener. He was too high on the pain to be startled by the loud ring of his cellphone or to be fazed by the name that appeared. With shaky hands Link held the phone to his ear.   
  
“Link? You there?”   
  
“Hmm? Mmmm, yeah, here. I’m here. What’s up?”    
  
There was silence. Rhett was speechless, completely lost for words. He was hoping Link would answer but at the same he had already papered a voicemail message in his head. Never in a million years did he think he’d ever hear his best friend’s voice again. There were so many things he wanted to say, so many questions. He didn’t know where to start.    
  
“Link, a-are you okay?”    
  
“Me? I’m perfectly fine, brother. Never been better.” His words were slurred and came out in a breathy, almost panting with the light undertone of pleasure. He sounded out of it. He sounded the way Rhett always pictured Link would sound after sex.    
  
“Link...A-Are you, um...Did I interrupt you getting laid? Shit! I’m sorry! I meant...I mean…” Rhett felt his cheeks flare and the sweat begin to form. Who was he to talk to Link like that, especially after all this time. At one time it wasn’t abnormal for the two boys to talk about sex to each other. But now, after months of silence, for that to be one of the first things Rhett said was completely uncalled for.    
  
_ You fucking idiot! Link should just hang up right now! What in the world made you think that this was a good idea?  _ __  
__  
Luckily for Rhett, between the steam from the bath and the blood loss, Link was flying, completely oblivious to the odd questions or the fact that he was talking to Rhett again, despite all that had happen.   
  


“Heh, no. Mmm, no.” His voice got lower, now sounding as if he just woke up or was drugged. This only intensified Rhett’s worry for the brunette.    
  
“I’m just...I’m just worried about you man. I’m so...I’m scared that I’m gonna…” Rhett couldn’t continue, he hung up before Link could hear the loud cry that escaped the older boy’s lips. Out of frustration, Rhett threw his phone, cursing at himself for hanging up and for even calling in the first place.    
  
_ You asshole, that was your chance! At least...At least he’s hanging in there. At least he’s still alive. _ __  
__  
Rhett couldn’t picture his life without Link, even if they haven’t talked in all this time, he still cared deeply for the boy. He decided it was best to just turn in for the night, he suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore. If anything, he felt sick.    


* * *

  
  
The next morning Chase made sure to eat a large breakfast to make up for his lack of dinner. Before leaving, he thought about taking something extra to give to Link but decided against it. The look of terror from even mentioning food still haunted him. The last thing he wanted to do was to push his crush even further away.    
  
Chase stepped onto the bus, quickly yet carefully looking at each seat, trying to scope out the dark haired beauty, only to be filled with disappointment when he saw that someone else had already beat him to it.    
  
_ Oh...No big deal, it’s not like we don’t go to school together.  _ He chuckled at his own joke, taking his seat next to one of his friends from the Chess Club. The two friends talked the entire way there. Though Chase was able to hold the conversation with his friend, he kept his eyes glued to the frail boy sitting across from him, two rows down. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t step off the bus after Link just so he could check out his ass, biting his lip, in an attempt to calm himself.    
  
As expected, the day ticked by, one minute feeling like two hours. Though he was impatient, Chase was grateful that the day dragged by. That way it gave him time to gather his thoughts and write out what he wanted to say to Link, over and over until he got it perfect. It was impossible to concentrate on his subjects when he knew that in such a short period of time he would be able to see the angle-face of a boy once again.     
  
Finally, the bell rang, releasing the students from their current class, allowing them to move freely to their next. For Chase, that meant lunch. Despite how excited he was, he gathered his things slowly, placing them one by one into his boookbag. This way, he was giving Link more than enough time to get to the cafeteria, find a seat, and settle down. On his way to the lunchroom, the chubby teen took a detour to the brunette’s locker and them to the library, seeing if he was skipping. When there was no trace of his crush, Chase made his way to the cafeteria. He walking at a faster pace that norma, wanting to get there as soon as possible. The quicker he got there, the more time he had to spend with Link. It didn’t take much to scout out Link, he was the only student that that had the whole table to himself and without any food in front of him.    
  
He walked towards Link slowly, unsure of Link’s feelings towards him. He froze when piercing blue eyes met his own brown ones, as if they were looking inside of him, past him, looking at something that only Link could see.    
  
“It’s you again. What do you want?” Deep down, Link was happy that Chase wanted to talk to him again. It made him feel wanted and noticed. It killed him to be cold towards such an adorable guy, but he felt as if he had to. He couldn’t afford to be the punchline of some sick joke.    
  
“Y-Yeah, it’s me.” He cleared his throat before taking his seat. “Listen, I want to apologize for before. I had good intentions when I asked you out to eat. I didn’t mean anything by it. It was just another way of saying let’s hangout. So, um, I was thinking…” He trailed off.   
  
Link raised an eyebrow, slightly intrigued. “Go on.” He sat back in his chair, cross his arms.   
  
“I was thinking...W-Would you like to hangout this weekend? We don’t have to go out and eat, we can just stay home and watch a movie, talk, anything you want to do. You just seem like a pretty cool guy and I want to get to know you. So, what do you say?”

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything in awhile so I wrote this in an attempt to get myself back into it. 
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated :)


End file.
